Cowboy Pasta Salad
Updated
Updated
Bacon, ground beef, cheese, and hot sauce make this Cowboy Pasta Salad recipe a definite crowd pleaser! It’s perfect for an easy dinner, a hearty side dish, backyard BBQs, game day, or any time I want something simple and satisfying.
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5 STAR REVIEW
Easy Cowboy Salad Recipe
Ever heard of cowboy spaghetti? It’s a twist on classic spaghetti and meatballs, but with crumbled ground beef, bacon, hot sauce, and cheddar cheese. And apparently named as such because cowboys like that stuff, right? Who knows. All I know is my family loves it.
I thought it would be fun to adapt it into this Cowboy Pasta Salad, and it turned out amazing! I included lean ground beef, crispy hickory smoked bacon, cheese, and a tangy flavor-packed creamy dressing—it’s so hearty and flavorful.
I served it at a potluck I hosted—everyone flocked to it and wanted the recipe, so here it is. Horses, lassos, and spurs not included.
Cowboy Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried wagon wheel pasta*
- 1 pound hickory smoked bacon, , diced
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef, , swap for Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
- 15 ounce can whole kernel sweet corn**, drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 & 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 5 scallions, , diced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- In the meantime, saute bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off grease.
- Wipe out skillet, leaving a little of the bacon grease. Add the ground beef; cook, breaking it up into tiny crumbles, until cooked through and no longer pink. Season with cumin, red pepper flakes, and with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside to cool completely.
- In an extra large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot chili sauce until combined and smooth. Add in the cooked pasta, bacon, beef, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and scallions; toss to combine and coat.
- We enjoy this best right after it's assembled at room temperature, but leftovers the next day are definitely still delish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Cowboy Pasta Salad Step by Step
Gather the ingredients. Pull all the ingredients out of the fridge and pantry and lay them on the kitchen counter.
Make the pasta. Cook one pound of pasta until al dente, drain, and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
Cook the bacon. Saute one pound of bacon until crispy, using a slotted spoon, and transfer to paper towels to drain off the grease. Wipe out the skillet, leaving a little of the bacon grease.
Cook the ground beef. Add 3/4 pound ground beef; cook, breaking it up into tiny crumbles until cooked through and no longer pink. Season with the 1 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside to cool completely.
Make the dressing. In an extra-large bowl, whisk together 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons Spicy brown mustard, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and 2 ½ teaspoons hot chili sauce until combined and smooth.
Assemble. To the bowl with the dressing, add in the cooked pasta, bacon, beef, a 15-ounce can of corn, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 ½ cups cheese, and 5 scallions; toss to combine and coat.
Serve the pasta salad: Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
You can make the dressing and cook the ground beef and bacon the day before you need the salad, then assemble and serve fresh. Store each ingredient in a separate airtight container in the fridge.
If you’d like to assemble ahead of time, I recommend leaving out the tomatoes, then adding them right before serving. Reserve a little dressing or make extra, since it gets soaked up by the pasta sitting overnight and won’t be as creamy.
Cowboy pasta salad is best enjoyed at room temperature right after it’s assembled. The longer it sits, the more the tomatoes break down, and once chilled, the dressing isn’t as creamy. However, leftovers the next day are definitely still delish but don’t keep for more than 2 days.
What to Serve With Cowboy Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is quite hearty, so you can easily serve it for dinner as a full meal, but it’s also great as a side dish. It makes the perfect addition to any backyard BBQ or festive celebration. I like to serve portions topped with candied jalapeños. For those hot summer days, I wash it down with a refreshing Southern style sweet tea or an adult Alabama slammer!
More Easy Cowboy Recipes
- This Cowboy Coleslaw mixes crunchy cabbage with smoky bacon, cheddar, and BBQ flavor for a side that disappears fast at cookouts.
- Cowboy Caviar Couscous Salad is one of those easy recipes that works for potlucks, lunches, or a quick no-fuss dinner side!
- I’d make Cowboy Spaghetti anytime I need a filling family dinner that leans heavily on pantry staples.
“Easy to put together and great meal on a hot day! Will definitely keep this recipe.” -Eva